1988 Pete 377 w/Cummins Big Cam 4

Thanks for the offer, but you are about a 3 1/2 hour drive away.(otherwise I might consider doing just that!) The owners mechanic put new belts on the truck before they drove it from NC to Kansas over the weekend. I noticed one of the belts on the alternator had broke(other belt stayed on), that is the piece of belt you see in the picture,,,keen observation! I dropped the truck off at a local diesel truck mechanic I have used in the past. He checked the grinding in first gear, I told him of what they said about clutch brake, he said "no problem", he can fix it right up, without much expense. I told him to also take a look at the oil leaks, pan gasket I know was one major one, but also could be front seal or somewhere up in there. He told me he would look things over and give me a call. He is pretty thorough when he does something, and not anything that isnt needed. Only problem is, he had quite a few trucks in line for service work before he gets to mine, so I imagine it wont be until middle of next week until he gets a chance to get on mine.

 

I have a question for you guys, on this particular truck the cowling on both sides is cracked(I guess thats what you call them,,it is the piece on the cab, where the fenders on the hood meet when it is closed. Previous owner fixed one with a not to nice looking "patch", he put a strip of metal across it and screwed it in. Both of these pieces shake alot, so I may need to attach them sturdier to the cab body. Can a person take fibreglass material and patch from the inside, the put body puty in the crack on exposed area, sand and paint? Also, big break(crack) on fibreglass behind step on passenger door. Any tips on repairing these would be greatly appreciated. My oldest son doesnt like my purchase already, as soon as he seen the cracks, but I dont want to give up on the truck, just yet!
Jim